Bird Migration Explorer

The Bird Migration Explorer is your guide to the heroic annual journeys made by over 450 bird species, and the challenges they face along the way.

Learn more about a species, the migratory birds at a specific location, or a conservation challenge birds face.

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Can we save critically endangered relict endemic plant species? A case study of endemics in Egypt

Rosa arabica and Primula boveana is a perennial endemic to the high mountain area of St. Catherine Protected Area (SCPA) in Egypt and listed as one of the most 100 threatened plants in the world. Recently, they listed as Critically Endangered due to their small Extent of Occurrence and tiny population size (less than 90). The continuous decline in habitat quality for this species and the urgent need to carry out on-ground conservation actions were reported. Many attempts were made in the past to cultivate them in the wild, but they did not succeed. So, this solution aims to conserve them through in situ practices by implementing the following steps, respectively: a) IUCN Red List, b) Ecological Niche Modeling, and c) based on the previous two steps, translocation process for R. arabica in the suitable habitat will be done after carrying out simple layering process (local community traditional method) as one of the most effective traditional vegetative methods for wild cultivation for this species.

Safe Island for Seabirds

The Safe Islands for Seabirds project took place in Corvo island and Vila Franca do Campo Islet  (VFCI) in São Miguel island in the Azores. It was a pioneer project for the conservation of seabird colonies trough habitat restoration and control and eradication of invasive alien species (IAS).

This project assessed the impact of predators on seabird reproduction and tested several methods in order to reduce that impact. One of the most innovative solutions was a pest-free fence installed in the “Corvo Biological Reserve”, that was cleaned from predators and restored to the natural habitat. Also, habitats were restored in a higher altitude  reserve and at the restricted area of VFCI. Habitat restoration allowed seabirds a better access to the burrows, but also artificial nests were built to increase nesting availability.

Education and awareness rising were also of high importance for the project. In the after-LIFE, restored areas were regularly maintained and educational actions continued.

EDGE metric and EDGE lists

A consistent methodology for prioritising species conservation efforts based on extinction risk data (the Red List) and phylogenetic information; EDGE lists, representing the most evolutionarily distinct and threatened species on Earth, are currently available for all amphibians, birds, mammals, ray-finned fish, reptiles, sharks and rays, freshwater crayfish, and gymnosperms, with lists for other groups, including all angiosperms, forthcoming

River Dolphins

River dolphins still swim in some of the world’s greatest rivers, but all six surviving species are threatened with extinction. This site provides the best global source of knowledge and solutions that can boost efforts to safeguard these iconic animals – and benefit the people and nature that depend on their rivers.

WildLabs Conservation Technology Community

WILDLABS is home to the global conservation technology community of 8,600 people in 120 countries discussing 1,500 topics like biologging, camera traps, and machine learning. With engaging spaces to ask questions and collaborate together, share your own work, and discover new ideas and innovations, WILDLABS is your platform to connect with #Tech4Wildlife experts and projects from around the world.

USAID biodiversity monitoring guidelines

Biodiversity Indicators Partnership resources

IUCN SSC Species Monitoring Specialist Group Guidelines and Tools

The IUCN SSC Species Monitoring Specialist Group and the IUCN Global Business and Biodiversity Programme have produced Guidelines for Planning and Monitoring Corporate Biodiversity Performance. The Guidelines were developed by IUCN teams in collaboration with business partners, especially Nespresso, Boskalis and Alcoa.

The Guidelines provide a four-stage, science-based approach for developing a corporate biodiversity strategic plan and measuring biodiversity performance across company operations and supply chains. The approach enables companies to be more targeted in their biodiversity focus by identifying the species and habitats important to them and understanding the benefits they provide to people.

CMP Conservation Standards

The Conservation Standards (CS) are a widely adopted set of principles and practices that bring together common concepts, approaches, and terminology for conservation project design, management, and monitoring. Developed by the Conservation Measures Partnership and regularly updated in collaboration with the broader community, this open-source, strategic process helps conservation teams achieve lasting impact.

National Red List Working Group

The National Red List Working Group (NRLWG) is a working group within the IUCN Red List Committee towards developing and implementing ways to improve linkages between national red listing efforts and the IUCN Red List, and on tools to help national red listing efforts, which are often based on adapting the tools available for global red listing processes to better suit national needs.

The NRLWG also serves as a Coordinating Body for the “National Red List Alliance” (NRLA), established in 2013 to promote and drive forward the national red listing process globally. This was in response to result 2 in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Strategic Plan (2013-2020): more IUCN Red List assessments are prepared at national and, where appropriate, at regional scales. The aim is to help countries monitor their progress towards achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (particularly goals 14 and 15) and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (particularly target 12).

Conservation actions in the national ITPGRFA Reports

These are the country reports on implementation of the International Treaty received from Contracting Parties pursuant to Section V.1 of the “Procedures and operational mechanisms to promote compliance and address issues of non-compliance” (Resolution 9/2013), for which an updated Standard Reporting Format was adopted by the Governing Body in 2019 (Resolution 7/2019).

The Compliance Committee prepares a comprehensive synthesis and succinct analysis report for each session of the Governing Body. Please see the latest version here.

Some of the information received from Contracting Parties through their national reports is reused under several indicators in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reporting process. See, for example, SDG Indicator 15.6.1.

The deadline for the submission of national reports under the Second Reporting Cycle was extended by the Governing Body until 1 October 2024.

IWC Extinctions Initiative

According to the IUCN Red List a species or subspecies is considered Extinct (EX) when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.  A species or subspecies is presumed Extinct when exhaustive surveys in known and expected habitat have failed to record a single individual.

Distinct populations can also become locally extinct.  A single species is often made up of several separate populations and one population may be eradicated whilst others continue to live.  For example, the North Pacific gray whale population in the eastern North Pacific is considered healthy, but the western population is critically endangered.

Extinction is a natural phenomenon, but current rates of extinction are much higher than historic ‘background rates.’  The lifespan of a species varies depending on a number of factors such as body size and geographic range.  Many cetacean species are assessed to have survived between 5 and 30 million years. Today’s increased rates of extinction are due to human activities and associated habitat disruption and climate change.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, assesses the conservation status of most plant and animal species, some subspecies, and some subpopulations.  They use a rigorous approach to assess all available data for each species against defined criteria, and classify each into one of the IUCN Red List status categories